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Meet Hemi the Hector’s dolphin!

No, he’s not the Easter Bunny, but here at Te Papa we’re just happy that Hemi the Hector’s dolphin made it in time for Easter.

Hemi is the star of our new interactive game in Whales Tohorä, Dolphin Danger!

Visit over Easter and help Hemi navigate his way through several life-threatening situations to the safety of the marine reserve. Watch out for the shark!

It’s a fun game, but the message is a serious one. New Zealand is home to the world’s rarest marine dolphin species – the Hector’s dolphin and it’s even rarer relative, the North Island Maui’s dolphin. There may be only 100 or so Maui’s dolphins left.

Unless we try harder to keep them safe, New Zealand could become the first country in the world to knowingly allow a marine dolphin to become extinct!

Dolphins get caught and drown in set nets. This kind of fishing is a major threat to the survival of our Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins. Fishing regulations are now in place and some marine mammal reserves have been set up, but dolphins still get caught.

We may criticise other countries, such as Japan, for their whaling activities but there’s more we can do ‘at home’ to protect our own endangered marine mammals.

One Response

You might not be able to do much about fishing regulations and predators like hungry sharks but you might be able to help these mammals by doing the following:
– if you see litter, pick it up so it doesnt end up in the tummy of our marine mates!
– try your hardest to keep pollutants out of the sea, us humans need to be careful what we put in our waters!
Also, while dolphins like swimming and playing around boats we have to be careful around them. Slow your boat down, don’t make any sudden movements with the boat and turn slowly. Try not to swim after them if they move away, you wouldn’t like someone following you when you are trying to have fun!